Fractured Fairytale
by darisu-chan
Summary: Once upon a time there was a prince stuck in the past, a girl who wanted to be by the prince's side, and a princess who gave up her happy ending for the sake of others. Spoilers for chapters 210 to 212.
**Disclaimer:** _Nisekoi_ belongs to Naoshi Komi. Nothing is mine.

 **Author's Note:** Hey everyone! After reading chapter 212 of the manga, I decided to write this one-shot, however due to college work I wasn't able to finish writing this story until today.

I hope you enjoy it, and see you next time!

* * *

Fractured Fairytale

 _Once upon a time there was a prince stuck in the past…_

Raku's fondest moment of his childhood was when he met his first love, the girl he had promised to marry. Truth be told, he didn't remember much about her other than the promise itself. He didn't even know her name. He only knew that that summer had been the happiest event in his young life. He knew he had loved her then, and a part of him still loved her, as silly as it sounds. He could like other girls, but _she_ was the one that held his heart. Her memory _always_ gave him hope. His biggest wish was to find her, get to know her all over again, to fall in love with her all over again.

 _Zawsze in Love_

He spent ten years waiting for her.

And then she came, even if he didn't know who exactly she was, because not one but _four_ girls had the key.

A million questions and what ifs ran through his mind. Who was she? Which one? Did she want to be the promised girl? And, most importantly, had she felt the same way as he had? Had she treasured that memory as much as he had?

However, he soon realized just wondering wouldn't get him anywhere. Before knowing what his girl thought, he needed to know how _he_ felt. After more than a decade did he still love her? Did he want to be with her whoever she was? Could he be fine loving either Yui-nee, Tachibana, Onodera or Chitoge?

So Raku decided it was time to live in the present. He couldn't love a girl now simply because as a kid he had made a promise with her. He knew he was in love with Onodera, and if she were that girl, then he'd be ecstatic. But if another was his promised girl, then he was sure he wouldn't suddenly fall in love. Besides, Yui-nee had a point, could he really love the girl if he knew her identity?

But things soon changed.

Onodera was not the only girl in his heart.

He found out he loved Chitoge too.

And he became confused.

What did loving two girls at the same time even mean? Was he, Ichijo Raku, an actual scumbag? That couldn't be, right? He had been raised to be a gentleman, and here he was, acting like a douche.

The solution was simple. He just had to decide which girl he loved most.

It wasn't simple at all, though. But it was a start.

He just needed to figure things out and go on with his own life.

The past wouldn't influence his decision.

But then… why?

" _One day, when we're older, when we meet again, we'll take out what's inside that with this 'key.'_

" _And when that happens, let's get married._

 _It's a promise, okay…?"_

Why was he still having that dream?

Could it be that he still couldn't let the past go?

" _Yeah. It's a promise."_

* * *

… _girl who wanted to be by the prince's side…_

Onodera Kosaki had finally decided to confess. She had put it off for so many years it was about time she did something about it. She was sure she loved Ichijo-kun, how couldn't she? He was kind, honorable, funny, brave and gentle. He always did the right thing no matter what. In short, he was the man she had always dreamed about marrying.

Her problem was she was too shy, and that she feared rejection. But what good would it be to keep her feelings to herself? If Kosaki never confessed, how did she expect to be together with Ichijo-kun as she had always wanted? For the first time in her life, she needed to be brave.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side and she couldn't confess. Her prince, for she had always thought of Ichijo Raku as one, had gotten hurt while saving her. He had sacrificed himself for her, and that melted her heart at the same time it filled her with guilt. She was never good enough for him, she caused him harm instead of protecting him.

Putting his head on her lap, Kosaki decided to protect him. She would take care of him for as long as he wished, even if it meant that, someday, they wouldn't be together anymore. Her nightmares would come true, of merely being a peasant girl instead of the princess she wanted to be for him. However, even a commoner like her could be with the Sun. Cinderella got her happy ending, so why wouldn't she?

Suddenly she saw the meteor shower together with the man she loved. Suddenly she had the urge to speak out loud what was on her mind.

"Nee, Ichijo-kun? Did you know? I've been in love with all this time."

Unknown to her, her very own words would change the course of the story. They would change her very own life.

* * *

… _and a princess who gave up her happy ending for the sake of others._

In the blink of an eye, her life had taken an unexpected turn. Chitoge suddenly found herself facing a hard reality. Her best friend loved the same man as she did. Raku. Her fake lover. Her first and only love. She had been meaning to confess, but how could she when Kosaki-chan loved him as well. The whole situation made her uneasy. She was so frustrated. What should she do then?

She didn't think the situation could get worse. However, she was soon proven wrong.

"I've liked her since junior high…"

Chitoge heard Raku talking with Maiko-kun, but she didn't listen much after that. She ran away from the scene, all the time wondering what she should do. Should she give up?

There had been a time when she couldn't have cared less about the situation. Raku was her number one enemy, and she hated most everything he did. In fact, if she had known when they met that he was in love with Kosaki, Chitoge would have taken the opportunity to get rid of him. But of course she hadn't found out three years ago, since who Raku loved hadn't been her business. But things changed some time ago. She had fallen in love with him too.

 _The girl I care about most in this whole country… and the boy I care most about… are in love with each other._

This was her reality now. Might as well accept it.

When she was little she had dreamed of marrying the perfect guy. A prince who would sweep her off her feet, and take her to his castle, riding to the sunset with his white horse. At first she had blamed Disney movies for this silly idea, but now that she thought about it, Chitoge was sure that picture book she had long since forgotten about had given her this idea. She had wanted a hero to fight dragons for her.

Now she knew love isn't that. Love is accepting another person the way they are, without trying to change them. Love is not only taking, but giving. Giving is very important. Love is also unexpected, because the person you fall in love with is not always the person you had imagined. Sometimes, they are way better. Raku was better than she had thought. He was the best.

Raku had been her very first love. Yui-san had confirmed it. It seemed destined in a way, that she would fall in love once again with him. If he had fallen in love with her too, and if she had turned out to be his promised girl, then everything would have been perfect. If it were a movie, at the end they would get married, just like they had promised.

 _Zawsze in Love_

Yet her life was far away from being perfect. And she needed to make a decision, fast. Her sanity yelled for it. So, after a restless night, she decided.

Next day, she talked with Raku. She told to be good to the sweet girl that was Kosaki-chan. Then, she said goodbye.

"Bye-bye."

And with that, Kirisaki Chitoge was gone.

After going home, she called her mother, who had arranged everything for her.

Giving her room one last glance, she went away, to start anew.

Love is sacrifice as well. She had understood this recently. If she were there at Bonyari, Raku and Kosaki would never get together. She wouldn't be a nuisance, so she would go away.

Chitoge wasn't aware, though, that her heart was not the only one that broke that day.


End file.
